With the evolution of mobile technologies for mass data communication, higher bandwidth allocation to data signals is achievable today. With the availability of higher bandwidth, data consumption by mobile applications has increased, which in turn has increased control signaling traffic attributed by these mobile applications. An increase in the number of users actively using these mobile applications has caused developers to develop a myriad of other mobile applications that further contribute to a rise in the control signaling traffic on wireless mobile networks. These mobile applications are provided for a fee or are free. Some of the mobile applications are paid by the users themselves, while other mobile applications are sponsored by various companies who are allowed to advertise in the mobile applications. Advertising in mobile applications requires constant data transmission between the mobile applications and their respective mobile application vendor stores. Thus, free or non-paid mobile applications in the internet market have aggravated the problem of increased control signaling traffic.
Mobile applications are changing the mobile communication industry. At present, both network carriers and handset manufacturers seek partnerships with application and content providers with the aim of differentiating their products and services. For a wireless mobile network, this implies more signaling and bandwidth challenges, in addition to other unsolved problems. There is no dearth of newer network architecture plans, for example, the fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) network being rolled out, that promise higher bandwidth to resolve this problem. However, these new technologies create additional control signaling traffic. Furthermore, increased usage of smart phones possessing broad network communication capabilities along with large screens and multiple different internet supported applications, for example, browsers, video streaming applications, audio streaming applications, etc., has resulted in an explosion of signaling traffic. To facilitate a mass migration from the wired world to a world where mobility is a necessity, which in turn necessitates network performance and user satisfaction at a higher level, there is a need for control signaling traffic optimization. Moreover, mobile applications constantly generate control signal traffic by checking for updates, even when the mobile application is not being actively used by a mobile user, that is, when the mobile application is running in the background.
Furthermore, popular mobile applications that become viral typically create large control signaling traffic storms. The adverse effect of these mobile applications on wireless mobile networks has made these mobile applications a topic of concern for many network carriers, for example, Verizon Communications Inc., American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), etc. Moreover, mobile advertising in these mobile applications has aggravated the problem. Each time a player reaches a new level in a game via a mobile application on a mobile device, a mobile advertisement that requires a network connection is delivered.
Wireless mobile networks and infrastructure were typically developed to handle voice traffic. Network carriers built the wireless mobile networks to handle limited control signal traffic because voice signaling generated limited control signal traffic. However, with the advent of smart phones and tablet computing devices that support a myriad of internet supported applications, for example, gaming applications, social networking applications, voice calling applications, etc., the payload on the wireless mobile networks has increased substantially. User devices such as cell phones, smart phones, tablet computing devices, personal digital assistants, etc., create control signaling traffic in the form of control data packets and bearer data packets. These user devices with their internet supported applications generate massive chunks of control signaling traffic by repeatedly connecting and disconnecting with a wireless mobile network with or without a user's knowledge. This erratic communication of mobile applications with wireless mobile networks, in turn, rapidly depletes the battery life of a user device, thereby diminishing user experience.
When typical wireless mobile networks were implemented, minimal attention was given to requirements posed by rogue mobile applications. Such mobile applications include, for example, push electronic mail (email), instant messaging, visual voicemail, voice and video telephony, etc. These mobile applications typically require constant access to wireless mobile networks and frequently transmit control signals to the wireless mobile networks. Mobile and internet applications repeatedly connect and disconnect with the wireless mobile network in the background for various functions, for example, obtaining status updates, advertising, etc. Frequently transmitting data to the wireless mobile network also results in high battery consumption due to the constant need for powering or re-powering a radio of a user device for network access. Hence, repeated connections and control signaling traffic deplete battery life of the user device, thereby negatively impacting user experience. The data consumption strength of each mobile application is unique. While some mobile applications attribute to large volumes of control signaling traffic, some mobile applications contribute minimally towards control signaling traffic on the wireless mobile network depending on modes of operation of the mobile applications. For example, comparatively more control signaling traffic is caused by mobile applications in their active mode of operation rather than in their dormant or idle mode of operation. The larger the number of these mobile applications installed on a user device, the more is the control signaling traffic contributed by that user device on the wireless mobile network. Moreover, as the number of mobile users increase, the likelihood of control signaling traffic storms also increases. Since wireless mobile networks are built with limited traffic control capacity, control signaling traffic storms can cause mobile service outages as was experienced, for example, by Verizon, AT&T, and other network carriers around the globe in the past few years.
Network carriers over the years have been trying to combat network outages caused by overloading of wireless mobile networks. Traffic optimization is required to minimize control signaling traffic originating from mobile applications to ensure resource conservation. Some network carriers have suggested modifications of existing signaling protocols to reduce control signaling traffic. However, these modifications may require replacement of expensive service provider equipment and infrastructure. Moreover, such solutions may work only with equipment provided by a single mobile infrastructure equipment vendor, for example, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, etc., while network carriers have equipment from multiple mobile infrastructure equipment vendors. A few other solutions suggested by network carriers include enhancing capacity of mobile infrastructure equipment, designing and implementing new signaling protocol designs, etc. However, all of these methods have proven to be time consuming, expensive, and inefficient.
Many mobile devices support third generation (3G) or fourth generation (4G) network access as well as WiFi® network access. Control signal traffic issues are more prevalent in the 3G or 4G network than in the Wi-Fi® network. High volume of control signal traffic has a disastrous effect on the 3G or 4G network, but not on the Wi-Fi® network. Feasible solutions that network carriers are leaning towards these days is offloading wireless mobile network users from a mobile telecommunication network, for example, a second generation (2G) network, the 3G network, the 4G LTE network, etc., to a wireless local area network, for example, a WiFi® network of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, Inc. By this transition, the network carriers can substantially increase bandwidth capacity in an affordable and flexible way. By offloading wireless mobile network users from the 3G or 4G network to the WiFi® network, network carriers can increase the capacity without the need to change equipment or the infrastructure. With the outburst of network outages attributed by control signal traffic growth, many network carriers have migrated to networking via the WiFi® network, thereby offloading control signal traffic. According to recent studies, an increasing portion of mobile traffic is being carried over the Wi-Fi® network. Even with the benefits of the 3G network, the 4G LTE network, etc., mobile users still opt for Wi-Fi® network access over its counterparts. Network carriers have built WiFi® offload networks proactively in areas with heavy mobile broadband usage, thereby enhancing user experience.
Wi-Fi® technology provides seamless roaming through the use of authentication of both a user device and a user by using the same subscriber identity module (SIM) as is used for authentication on a wireless mobile network. Moreover, this seamless experience can be further enhanced by providing service continuity through technology such as a mobile internet protocol (IP) to ensure that existing sessions such as voice communications and video streaming are not interrupted during a handover between wireless mobile networks. Quality of user experience can also be enhanced by dynamically reviewing performance of the connected wireless mobile network and making policy decisions on the user device, for example, whether to remain connected to the Wi-Fi® network to cater to highly congested Wi-Fi® networks. Furthermore, in some situations, a mobile user who accesses any internet enabled application on a user device may be interested in switching from the mobile telecommunication network, for example, 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, etc., to the Wi-Fi® network. In those situations, the user should be able to perform the handover in a hassle free manner, which can be ensured by network carriers.
Hence, there is a long felt but unresolved need for a computer implemented method and a computer implemented system that manage control signaling traffic contributed by mobile applications that cause congestion in a wireless mobile network, by managing selective access of each mobile application to the wireless mobile network. Moreover, there is need for a computer implemented method and a computer implemented system that optimize the control signaling traffic directed towards wireless mobile networks to avoid overloading of the wireless mobile networks. Furthermore, there is a need for a computer implemented method and a computer implemented system that monitor control signal traffic data of a mobile application in a user device in different modes of operation of the mobile application to prevent network congestion and excessive battery consumption of the user device, thereby ensuring an enhanced user experience. Furthermore, there is a need for an automated computer implemented method and a computer implemented system that offloads control signaling traffic from a mobile telecommunication network, for example, 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, etc., to a wireless local area network, for example, the WiFi® network with minimum manual interference.